Land O' Lakes grippable bottle works for right- or left-handed milk drinkers.

Dairy processor Land O' Lakes shows us "the shape of things to come" with its new ergonomic milk-as-a-beverage 12-ounce bottle. Design firm The Coleman Group developed the patent-pending Grip 'N Go bottle, along with its graphics and name, which was test marketed in selected areas during December

Grip 'N Go targets active people; it fits in standard car cup holders and sports a user-friendly mouth opening--the threads of the neck finish are designed to eliminate contact with the consumer's lips. And, Land O' Lakes has determined that 12 ounces "is the perfect amount of a good thing."

Development of the proprietary bottle and closure coincided with the engineering of a new processing line to handle the package. Special machinery was built by German packaging equipment producer Stork.

While the high-density polyethylene bottle is proprietary (LOL will not disclose its source for the container), the closure comes from Phoenix Closures and the full-body shrink wrap label is printed and provided by Seal-It Inc. The package is recyclable once the label is removed.

How's the market responding? 63% of consumers surveyed by LOL said they would probably or definitely buy it.

For more information from The Coleman Group, call (212) 375-0550 or mark Item 252. For information from Phoenix Closures, call (630) 420-4770 or mark Item 253. For information from Seal-It Inc., call (800) 325-3965 or mark Item 254. For information from Stork, call (770) 535-1875 or mark Item 255.